Every spring we get quite a few new members. I can speak from experience that often times we use acronyms that are confusing. There are also some questions that always pop up. I hope this will help eliminate some confusion

One of the biggest factors in foodborne-illness outbreaks is time-temperature abuse. Disease-causing bacteria microorganisms grow and multiply at temperatures between 41 degrees F and 135 degrees F. Whenever food is held in the temperature danger range, it is being abused.

Common opportunities for time-temperature abuse throughout the flow of food include:
-- Not cooking food to its required minimum internal temperature
-- Not cooling food properly
-- Failing to reheat food to 165 degrees F for fifteen seconds within two hours (If the food falls below the minimum temperature requirement of 140 degrees F, it has to be reheated to 165 degrees F for 15 seconds, minimum, within two hours.)
-- Failing to hold food at a minimum internal temperature of 135 defrees F or higher or 41 degrees F or lower

Ground Meats -- including: beef, pork, and other meat or fish.

Minimum internal temperature 155 degrees F for 15 seconds.

Most whole-muscle cuts of meat are likely to have microorganisms only on their surface. When meat is ground, microorganisms on the surface are mixed throughout the product.

If you don't do this, please consider it. When you prepare food, do you use the same cutting board and utensils for all your food? If so, STOP.

Use different cutting boards and utensils for each type of food. Example: one for poultry, a second for other meats, and a third for vegetables. Consider different colored boards and handles. If you don't, make sure you sanitize all your items before going to another type of food.

To hold food at a specific internal temperature, refrigerator air temperature should be at least 2 degrees F lower than the desired temperature.

Keep freezer temperature at 0 degrees F or lower unless the food you are storing requires a different temperature.

Use caution when placing food into a freezer. Warm food can raise the temperature inside the unit and partially thaw the food inside. Store food to allow good air circulation. Overloading a freezer makes it work harder, and make it harder to find and rotate food properly.

Lining shelves with aluminum foil or paper restricts circulation of cold air in the unit.

Never place hot food in the refrigerator. This can warm the interior enough to put other food in the temperature danger zone.

I thought that was 3 slabs of ribs, boiled for 2 hours, then 1 hour on the grill.

No - that's only how the big franchised rib joints define it.

Actually, 3-2-1 is how I serve ribs when my folks come over. Three for me, two for Dad, and one for Mom. This system works equally well when two folks come over and you like one a lot better than the other - but I always get the three ribs.

And here are a few more:

Clod - usually beef shoulder.
Tri-Tip - a triangular piece of beef cut from the bottom sirloin (VERY tasty!)
Butt - pork shoulder
Boston Butt - see Butt
Slab - a full portion or ribs - usually pork side or back ribs, but on rare (and wonderful) occasions you may find a full slab of beef ribs. (Please post pics of these when you cook them so we can all enjoy them. )

Hog - exactly what it sounds like (an entire dressed pig)

Also:
BiL - Brother-in-law. See "hog" above. SO - significant other. (Can be VERY significant if you are buying a new grill..... )

And finally:
CBG - short for CanadaBBQGuy....

Unlike propane, you'll never wake up scorched and naked in another county because you mishandled a bag of briquettes.